Composition railroad-tie and method of making same.



4 P. s; LIETZ. COMPOSITION RAILROAD TIE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

APPLICATION HLED AUG. 30. 1917.

Patentd Dec. 18, 1917.

am wiu I M0 @Owzajj UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL s. LIETZ', oF'cIII'eAeo', II tInors, AssIGNon or ONE-HALF To JOHN HUG'fr WATKINS'LOF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS;

COMPOSITION RAILItoAn-TIE- AND METHOD on MAKINC's'Ainn;

Specification of Letters Patenti' Patentedme. is, 1917.

Application filed August 30, 1917. .Serial No. 188,945.

To all whom it may concern:

resident, of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Composition Railroad-Ties and Methods of Making Same, of which the following is a specification.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved form of railroad tie havinglaminations of wood and a plastic compound compressed and held together so as to form substantially a solid mass; to provide an improved plastic compound especially. suitable for adhering to and combining with strips of wood whereby the tie is possessed of the necessary qualities to withstandthe tensile and compressionalstrains to which ties in use are subjected and to resist deterioration; and to provide an improved method of manufacturing in a simple and economical manner ties of this kind.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention isshown in theaccompanying drawings, in which.

Figure 1' is a perspective view of the strips of wood showing how they are normally arranged to make up the frame or skeleton and around which the plasticcompound is compressed.

Fig; 2 is a sectional view of the completed tie.

Fig.3 is an. enlarged detail showing the manner in which the ends of the dowel pins are secured to the exterior strips of wood.

In the construction shown in the drawings, a plurality ofbars' or strips of wood 1 are disposed on edge lengthwise of the tie and secured in their spaced relation by means of transverse d'owel pins 2, thus" form-.

ing a rigid frame or skeleton made up of spaced stiffening members. A plastic compound. 3 is then forced under great pressure into this frame so as toinclose the wooden The spacing of the strips also may vary, de

pending upon the size of the strips.

-Usually, the spacing is to 1 7..

The dowel pins 2 are preferably of hard wood from s" to a" in diameter and are suitably distributed throughout the group ofstrips to avoid the areas into which the rail spikes will be driven in fasteningthe rails. The ends of the pins are suitably secured to the exterior strips flush with the outer faces thereof. A convenient method of accomplishing this is shownin Fig. 3, and consists of driving a Wedge 4 into a slit 5 in the end of the dowel pin so as to, spread the same in the manner indicated and ,wedge it into secure holding relation with the surrounding wood of the bar. I I

A suitable plastic compound for the pu r-. pose of this invention comprises asphalt or, some asphaltic oil or product; sand,-ear t h, or clay; cement, asbestos, or some other fibrous material; and rosin. The proportions in which these products are mixed depend more or less upon the conditions under whichthe ties are to be used, consideration beinggiven, to the climate and whether they are to be used above or under'the ground. For these rea-- sons, the proportions of different ingredis ents may be varied between wide limits, for example: 1

Asphalt, or an a'sph'altic I, I

product "O toQOperCent; Sand, earth or cla'y 76 to. 40 per cent Cement 10 to 20'per cent. Asbestos, or other fibrous material 2 to lO'per cent.

. neoted' together by the dowel pins 2, care being taken to distribute the dowels to-be'st advantage. The waterproofing of the frame I is'most conveniently accomplished by'plac.

ing itin a bath of boiling asphalt-i0 oil'and allowing it to remain immersed until all the moisture is driven outv of the wood and the pores thereof are thoroughly impregnated with the oil or other waterproofing compound. The frame is then placed-in a steel form of suitable dimensions, then the plastic compound in a heated molten condition is poured in and tamped in a suitable manner so as to cause it to fill all the spaces between and about the strips 1. The frame is covered to a depth of a few inches, and the top of the form is placed in position thereon. The contents of the form are then subjected to hydraulic pressure so as to compress the plastic compound and cause it to be firmly pressed into contact with the faces of the strips 1 and into all the spaces and interstices, so that it becomes intimately united with the wood. After cooling the tie while under pressure, the operation is completed and the tie removed ready for use.

A railroad tie formed in accordance with this method has many advantages. In the first place, it is much more economical than the solid wooden ties at present in use, for the reason that it requires only from onehalf to two-thirds the amount of wood. The Wood can be of the cheapest kind both as regards the kind of timber from which the strips are cut, and also the parts of the log which may be used. such a tie embodies all the characteristics necessary to resist and withstand both the tensile and compression strains to which a railroad tie is subjected. lVith this tie, the strips of wood l. being placed on edge and extending throughout the length of the tie, provide the necessary resistance to the tensile strains, whereas the plastic compound is peculiarly suitable to resist the compression. At the same time the tie possesses a certain degree of resiliency which tends to enhance the life of the tie. Furthermore, such a tie is practically indestructible, since it is absolutely impervious to water and to deterioration through the action of the elements, and may be used in any place that the ordinary solid wooden tie may be used, and in fact, a great many places where such a tie would not be suitable. Spikes may be driven into this composite tie at any point and are held against removal with greater tenacity than in the ordinary form of Wooden tie.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A composite railroad tie, comprising a plurality of alternate layers of wood and plastic compound rigidly secured together the layers of plastic material being of sufiicient thickness to form a substantial part of the tie.

2. A composite railroad tie, comprising a plurality of comparatively thin strips of In the second place,

wood disposed on edge lengthwise of the tie and uniformly spaced a substantial distance apart, and a plastic compound compressed into the spaces between said strips of wood.

3. A composite railroad tie, comprising a plurality of comparatively thin strips of wood disposed on edge lengthwise of the tie and uniformly spaced apart, dowel pins extending transversely through said strips and arranged to support and retain said strips in their spaced relation, and a plastic compound compressed into the spaces be tween said strips of wood.

l. A composite railroad tie, comprising a plurality of comparatively thin strips of wood disposed on edge lengthwise of the tie and uniformly spaced apart, dowel pinsextending transversely through said strips with their ends wedged flush in the exterior strips and arranged to support and retain said strips in their spaced relation, and a plastic compound compressed into the spaces between said strips of wood.

5. A composite railroad tie, comprising a plurality of comparatively thin strips of wood disposed on edge lengthwise of the tie and uniformly spaced apart, and a plastic compound compressed into the spaces between said strips of wood, said strips of wood being coated with an asphaltic prodnet for facilitating the adhesion of said compound to the faces of said strips.

6. A composite railroad tie, comprising a plurality of comparatively thin strips of wood disposed on edge lengthwise of the tie and uniformly spaced apart, and a plastic compound compressed into the spaces'between said strips of wood, said compound comprising principally an asphaltic product, sand, earth and cement.

7. A composite railroad tie, comprising a plurality of comparatively thin strips of wood disposed on edge lengthwise of the tie and uniformly spaced apart, and a plastic compound compressed into the spaces between said strips of wood, said compound comprising an asphaltic product, sand, earth, cement, fibrous material, and rosin.

8. A composite railroad tie, comprising a plurality of comparatively thin strips of wood disposed on edge lengthwise of the tie and uniformly spaced apart, and a plastic compound compressed into the spaces between said strips of wood, said compound comprising an asphaltic product, sand, earth, cement, fibrous material, and rosin, mixed substantially as described.

9. The process of making a composition railroad tie which consists in connecting together in spaced relation a plurality of strips of wood arranged parallel on edge so as to form a skeleton frame, treating said frame with a waterproofing substance, and then filling a plastic compound in the spaces between said strips. i

10. The process of making a composition railroad tie which consists in connecting together in spaced relation a plurality of strips of Wood arranged parallel on edge so as to form a skeleton frame, immersing said frame in an asphaltic oil, and then filling a plastic compound in the spaces between said strips.

11. The process of making a composition railroad tie which consists in connecting together in spaced relation a plurality of strips of Wood arranged parallel on edge so as to form a skeleton frame, immersing said frame in an asphaltic oil placing said frame in a receptacle, filling said receptacle and the spaces in said frame With a plastic compound, and then applying pressure so as to compress said compound in and around said frame.

12. The process of making a composition railroad tie Which consists in connecting together in spaced relation a plurality of strips of Wood arranged parallel on edge so as to form a skeleton frame, immersing said frame in a hot asphaltic oil, placing said frame in a receptacle, filling said receptacle and the spaces in said frame With a molten plastic compound, and then applying pres- I sure so as to compress said compound in and around said frame.

Signed at Chicago this 28th day of August, 1917.

PAUL S. LIETZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0. 

